Can hamsters eat grapes and grape seeds?

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Nutrition

07.04.2018

In nature, wild hamsters and their closest relatives eat almost everything. But they should not be confused with domestic ones. If the former even eat poison and remain alive, then the well-being of the latter can be undermined even by ordinary human food.

In the warm season, when the table is full of fresh fruits and vegetables, you want to let your hamster try everything. But there are many foods that are undesirable in the diet of a little glutton. The introduction of moisture-containing food into the diet is a big plus for maintaining the animal’s tone. This article will look at whether hamsters can eat grapes.

Can hamsters eat grapes?

Grapes are useful for rodents; they can be safely placed in the feeder, but in small quantities, taking into account certain precautions. The juicy berry contains a lot of liquid and provides the animals not only with vitamins and nutrients, but also with moisture. It is recommended to treat pets with sweet pulp in the summer heat to quench their thirst. When feeding hamsters grapes, you should adhere to the following rules:

It is necessary to choose small fruits that, if swallowed, will not cause the animal to choke;
It is advisable to place light-colored, seedless berries in the feeder;
The animal should be given only ripe, unspoiled, not sour, not fermented fruits;
You can’t overfeed your baby with grapes; one berry twice a week is enough.

How to feed grapes

In order for your pet to be able to absorb all the vitamins and beneficial microelements from the berry, while avoiding negative consequences, you should:

Set a certain limit - give no more than 1 grape per day and no more than 2 in 7 days;
Make a choice in favor of not very sweet white grape varieties;
Remove small seeds from the berries first, because they contain concentrated microelements, which can be fatal if taken in higher dosages;
Choose grapes that are not very large in size;
Make sure that the rodent does not hide the remains of the fruit in its house, since fermented or rotten grapes can cause serious poisoning.

In what cases is the berry contraindicated for hamsters?

Can a hamster eat grapes if the pet is sick? It is forbidden to treat an animal suffering from chronic diseases, especially diabetes, to a sweet product. It is strictly forbidden to feed the animal unripe and sour fruits, because increased acidity is detrimental to the sensitive body of a small rodent. You should not feed your pet sweet fruits and berries; vegetables are quite suitable for replenishing vitamins and microelements in a tiny body: potatoes, sweet peppers, corn, zucchini, pumpkin.

Why shouldn't rodents be given a lot of grapes?

You should not put a lot of fruits in the feeder. A gluttonous baby will probably eat all of them at once, which will then negatively affect the condition of his body. The owner will have to save a sick pet. Even if the hamster does not eat all the treats, he will definitely hide the leftovers in the pantry. In hamster bins, the berries will deteriorate and rot. Rot can spread to good grain lying in the pantry. After feasting on spoiled food, the animal will become poisoned and die. You should be especially careful when giving grapes to dzhungarikas. Tiny Djungarian rodents have a digestive system that is too delicate and sensitive to accept excess food.

What kind of apples can you give?

Hamsters can eat apples and even need them, but on the condition that the fruits are fresh:

will be ripe;
not treated with chemicals and various growth stimulants;
before offering such food to a rodent, it must be thoroughly rinsed under running water;
It is recommended to soak fruits purchased at the supermarket in water for several hours to neutralize the effects of pesticides.

Offer your pet apples of sweet and sour varieties. They are more useful and do not have a negative effect on the animal’s gastric mucosa. Can hamsters have sweet apples? Fruits with a high content of sucrose are harmful for such a pet. They can provoke the development of diabetes and related diseases.

You can give hamsters apples, but only after they reach one month of age. At an earlier age, eating this fruit can cause diarrhea, vomiting and gastrointestinal upset.

When offering this product to your furry, do not forget that it contains seeds. Fruit pits are contraindicated for hamsters because they contain a toxic substance - hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, before giving them to the animal, cut them in half and remove the entire core of the fruit.

Both Syrians and Dzungarians can eat apples. Almost all breeds of the Hamyakov family can eat this delicacy with great pleasure.

Dried apples

Many livestock breeders are interested in whether hamsters can eat dried apples? Of course you can! The hamster will be happy to eat such a treat. The main thing is that the drying is prepared correctly, and always without adding sugar and salt. In dried form, such a product does not lose its valuable properties and qualities. Dried apples normalize metabolic processes and prevent the development of gastrointestinal diseases.

Grapes for Syrian and Djungarian hamsters

Tiny pets of the Djungarian breed require a special diet, as they are often susceptible to diabetes. It is better to include sweets (fruits and berries) in this diet in very moderate quantities so as not to provoke disease. You can give grapes to Djungarians just a little bit at a time.

Syrian babies can eat berries as usual - one a day, twice a week. Eating grapes is especially beneficial for them, since the substances contained in this product help prevent joint diseases, which often affects these rodents.

Feed your pets correctly, do not forget about common sense, and take into account the health characteristics of a particular individual. Sweet berries are not contraindicated for rodents, but if there is any doubt that your baby is suffering from obesity or diabetes, it is better not to risk his health or aggravate the situation.

Grapes for Syrian and Djungarian hamsters

The Dzungarian breed of hamsters is smaller, and such pets are more likely to suffer from diabetes than Syrian ones . Therefore, when feeding sweet berries to pets of this breed, you should take this point into account and limit portions to one piece per week. They also have a very sensitive digestive system that may not accept large amounts of food. Syrian breed rodents can eat up to two berries per week, and the general rules for them follow.

Help: grapes are especially useful for them, as they contain substances that help prevent joint diseases, which these pets often suffer from.

What varieties are suitable for rodents?

Grapes come in light and dark varieties. Both will be beneficial. The white variety must be pitted. Dark is optional; seeds are rare here. The best option is soft and honey sultanas.

If you want to treat your little pet without harming him, contact your veterinarian for a detailed list of what foods can be added to your hamster’s diet and what not. If you have any doubts about any product, it is better to abstain rather than take risks.

Diet adjusted for summer

Along the way, we’ll touch on what else a hamster can get from the summer abundance. We have already talked about sour. You also need to remember that when giving an animal a berry, you should first remove the seed from it. Otherwise he may get poisoned. He can’t eat sweets either: pear, peach, watermelon and melon are off limits. Plum (non-acidic), apricot, cherry, sweet cherry are not forbidden, but in very small quantities.

We suggest you read: Can cats eat pork? Is it possible to feed a cat raw meat and why is the product dangerous?

Citrus fruits, which contain a lot of acid, are contraindicated. Tropical fruits are excluded due to sweetness. But you can eat a little bit of bananas, but be sure, as in the case of grapes, to make sure that pieces of uneaten banana do not go into “supply.” Remove any residue immediately to avoid poisoning.

Can hamsters eat bread?

Hamsters can eat bread depending on the type of bread. You should not feed hamsters white bread because it contains little nutritional value, and white flour is highly processed and quickly turns into sugars in your pet's body. Black, rye or gray bread, bran bread - these types of bread will be excellent treats for your hamster.

We suggest you read: How much does a hamster cost in a pet store: prices

You can also buy special organic bread with seeds and grains. Some people believe that the healthiest part of bread for hamsters is the crust.

Rules for introducing into the diet

You should treat your furry friend with juicy sweet berries by following simple rules:

Do not give large grapes - the baby will not be able to eat all the delicacy and will put some of it aside “for later” in his bins. Soon the leftovers will spoil, and the pet will be seriously poisoned if it decides to try its supplies.
Try to choose ripe berries, because unripe grapes will cause diarrhea. They are also very acidic, and this is harmful to the rodent’s stomach.
It is better to buy green grapes for your pet, not black ones, and seedless ones.

It is prohibited to feed rodents with the seeds of this berry.

If you give hamsters grapes, following these recommendations, the berries will give them pleasure with a pleasant taste and not only will not harm their health, but will be beneficial.

Possible, but on condition

Hamsters can eat grapes - all experts agreed on this opinion. But with big reservations and cautions. The grape should be small - once. It should not be immature, because sour foods are also contraindicated for hamsters - two. Under no circumstances should it be fermented - three. But that's not all. Since you have treated your hamster to grapes, be sure to make sure that he, due to his thriftiness, does not drag it into his nest. The grapes will begin to rot, and the rotting process will spread to other supplies that he has lovingly prepared. The consequences will be dire, because food poisoning in hamsters usually ends in their death.

But if you took into account all the above points, then the hamster will be grateful to you and there will be no harmful consequences for his health. So to the question whether hamsters can eat grapes, you can give an affirmative answer - with reservations, of course.

What can be replaced

Treat your pet to cherries or sweet cherries in small quantities. He will also eat a juicy, sweet plum with pleasure. You can feed strawberries and wild strawberries. It is better to avoid sweet fruits, such as watermelon or melon. From sour and astringents, such as pomegranate and persimmon - too. Citrus fruits are generally not allowed for hamsters. But you can eat them yourself. They are 100% useful to people.

We also have a useful section with questions “is it possible for a hamster?” Instead of searching for articles all over the site, you can find a short answer to your question there.

Contraindications for consumption

Before feeding your hamster grapes, you need to rule out the presence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, in which any sweets are contraindicated.

You cannot feed your furry baby several fruits in one day.

If the pet received a portion of dessert today, then grapes can no longer be given. The exception applies only to animals suffering from a lack of vitamin B5; for them, doctors allow an increase in the dose of sweets.

If you doubt whether your hamster needs a particular product, you should not include it in the animal’s diet until you are completely sure that it is safe for your pet’s susceptible body.

Is it possible to feed a hamster raisins?

Why not? After all, raisins are dried grapes. The nutrients are retained in it, but there is less water. Accordingly, the conclusion suggests itself - hamsters can eat raisins. But you shouldn't get carried away. As proof of my words, find ready-made dry food Padovan Grandmix Criceti . It contains raisins.

I almost forgot - dried berries are often given to tame a hamster. For example, give it only from your hand so that the hamster has to completely climb onto it. After some time, the animal will remember that if a hand is extended to it, most likely there is something sweet in it and it will stop being nervous.